This Time Around
by The Word Nerd
Summary: Carra and Josh are an unlikely pair, but from their first meeting they can't deny their interest in one another. But Carra has a secret, and her wounds are deeper than Josh suspects. How will it all turn out this time around? Featuring singer Josh Groban.
1. Introduction

This is my first fanfic about my favorite singer, Josh Groban. It's been about two years since I started writing it, and after the great response it's gotten on other sites I decided to post it here. I hope you enjoy, please review and let me know if you'd like me to continue it! Happy reading! :)

* * *

"So, Rob, what did you want to ask me about?" The dark-haired young man settled back in his chair and looked at his friend across the desk expectantly.

"I'm going to impose on our friendship and ask a big favor," Robert Martin replied with a self-deprecating laugh. "But it's one I don't think you'll mind granting."

"All right then, ask away!"

"Well, in a nutshell, here's the situation. I went to a small, private college in my hometown, and they've been running low on funds the last few years. Lack of sufficient donations and all that; you know the deal. The concern now, however, is that the music program is in danger of being cut."

"Oh, it's that bad?"

"Yes! And I'd hate to see that happen – their music department is one of the best in the country! I visited tons of other colleges when I was deciding where to attend, and I never saw a music program to equal ours. If their funding is cut, they won't be able to offer a music major anymore."

"That's terrible, but … what does this have to do with me?"

"I was on the phone with my old voice teacher yesterday, and he suggested I use my position in the recording industry for something useful - he's still mad that I didn't become a music teacher instead! – and find someone to come do a concert at the college to help raise money. The administration told him if they can raise a certain amount of money on their own, they can keep their major for at least another year." He sat back and eyed his friend, who was looking at him with a thoughtful expression in his dark eyes. "What do you say?"

Hesitating, the young man rubbed his stubbly chin contemplatively. "Have you checked this out with any of the staff yet?" he asked.

"No, I decided to run it by you first."

He nodded, still thinking. Finally, he stood up, a smile lighting up his face. "Well then, I'd say you better mention it to them, so we can start planning!"

Rob stood up, came around the desk, and began vigorously pumping his friend's hand. "Thanks so much! Wait 'til I call and tell them who to expect!" he said excitedly.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one - pleeeaaase review and let me know if you'd like me to continue posting! Happy reading :)

* * *

Carra James awoke to the sound of her cell phone shrilly blasting Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird." _Crap_, she silently fumed. _I knew I should have turned that on silent before I went to sleep!_ She fumbled around on her nightstand, finally locating her phone.

"It's Alicia. I should have known!" She opened the phone and with an exaggerated yawn murmured a groggy, "Hello?"

"Aren't you up yet!" her friend squealed into her ear.

"Good morning to you, too," returned Carra wryly. "Do you have the bacon and eggs ready?"

"What? No." Alicia was confused and Carra had to stifle a laugh.

"Gravy and biscuits, then? Coffee? Anything?"

"What are you talking about!" huffed Alicia.

"It's not nearly as funny when I have to spell it out to you – I was saying that you woke me up and it had better be for a good reason!"

"Well of course it's for a good reason! Today's the day we get to meet a famous singer!"

Carra rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "So?"

Alicia let out a strangled scream. "You are impossible! You can't tell me you aren't the least bit excited? Or at least curious?"

"Well, sure, I'm curious. But don't you think it's a little fishy that they won't tell us who this guy is? He's probably either someone we've never heard of, or terrible."

"Rob found him; you know he's working in the recording industry out in LA now. Don't you trust him enough to think this guy's at least gotta be pretty good?"

"I don't know, it just seems weird to me. I would think they'd publicize it if someone big was actually coming to our town."

"Maybe the guy likes his privacy."

"Hmm. I guess. Well, now that I'm up I guess I'll go ahead and get ready. I'll see you at rehearsal."

"Okay. Don't be late!"

"I won't."

Carra hung up her phone and buried her head in the pile of pillows surrounding her. There was certainly no going back to sleep now, but she couldn't quite bring herself to get up, either. Instead, she thought ahead to what the day would hold. Yesterday the chair of the music department at her small college had announced that they would be holding a fundraising concert on behalf of their department, and that a famous singer had agreed to come out from California to help. Everyone had wanted to know who it was, but Dr. Smallwood wouldn't say. He just smiled secretively and said they'd have to wait and see.

Finally, the incessant buzz of her alarm clock alerted Carra that it really was time to be up and about. She switched it off and hauled herself out of her bed and into the bathroom. She stood for a moment in front of the full-length mirror, assessing her appearance. Carra was tall but not too tall, with wildly curly shoulder-length brown hair tinted here and there with auburn and blonde highlights – all natural, Carra proudly noted. She had creamy skin that practically refused to tan, a spray of freckles across her nose, thick full lips, and big hazel eyes with incredibly long lashes. She put her hands at her waist – still thicker than it ought to be in spite of the diet, she thought with a shake of her head. She had always been a tad overweight, although it had never seemed to bother anyone but her. She sighed. When her last relationship had gone down the drain, her self-confidence took the plunge right along with it. When she looked in the mirror, she didn't see anything spectacular.

"Well," she said to herself as she climbed in the shower, "at least you've got a voice, girl!"

Forty-five minutes later, Carra was dressed in jean gauchos, a black shirt with pink polka dots, and black converse sneakers. Her hair had been blown dry and cascaded to her shoulders in bouncy curls. Checking her cell phone for the time, she quickly jabbed earrings in her ears and made sure to grab her messenger bag, purse, cell phone, and sunglasses. She put on a lightweight pink jacket against the chill of the October morning and loaded up into her SUV. She had a stop to make before heading to the school and, as usual, was running late. _Welcome to my life_, she thought with a rueful grin as she backed out of her tiny driveway. She hit the button to turn on her CD player and smiled as the voice of her newest favorite singer, Josh Groban, filled the car. She had "discovered" him just a couple weeks before, and had immediately gone out to buy both his CDs, which she'd listened to nonstop ever since. She hit the seek button until she found "Canto Alla Vita" and began to sing along, warming up her voice a bit before rehearsal. It had taken a little while, but finally she had memorized the beautiful Italian lyrics. The music had a calming effect on her nerves, as always, and she was sorry to have to turn it off when she pulled into a parking space across the street from the music building.


	3. Chapter 2

Dearest readers, thank you all so much for reading, for reviewing, and most of all for being patient with me! I've been on a little fanfic hiatus for a couple months and I know how it is when you're waiting for an update and it never comes - for this, I apologize profusely!

Because you're awesome, how about two new chapters tonight?

Just one thing I have to say: this was the very very first fanfic I ever wrote, and as I look back through it I can REALLY tell it is a first attempt! Please just keep that in mind and don't flame me too hard. ;)

* * *

Alicia met Carra in the lobby and wordlessly held out a steaming Starbucks cup. Carra smiled gratefully and inhaled the wonderful smell. She took a cautious sip – her favorite cappuccino, just the way she liked it.

"I have never been so happy to have a friend who lived next to Starbucks," she said.

"I had a feeling you'd need it," Alicia said with a grin.

"Oh, you have no idea! The night I had last night, taking care of–"

"Good morning ladies! I hope you're not planning on bringing that in the recital hall?" It was their teacher, Dr. Smallwood, eyeing their Starbucks cups dubiously.

"But it's so early!" whined Carra with a winning smile.

"Well … don't make a habit of it!" said Dr. Smallwood, going ahead of them into the recital hall.

"What a teacher's pet! You could get away with murder in front of that man, you know it?" said Alicia, trying to sound disgusted but not quite succeeding. Practically the entire department knew about the partiality Dr. Smallwood, really all the faculty, felt for Carra. And Alicia understood perfectly – after all, Carra was her best friend!

"Well, I suppose we ought to go in, then," Carra said after a minute. "I guess everyone else is already here. Too excited to be late!" Alicia agreed with a laugh, remembering her early call to Carra, all because she herself was too excited to sleep!

The two girls slipped into the recital hall, embarrassed at coming in when everyone was already in a seat and several people were onstage speaking to the crowd of students. Carra settled her messenger bag on the floor and then looked up at the stage. One person caught her eye immediately, and she turned to Alicia with a stunned expression.

"What?" Alicia whispered, alarm in her voice.

"Do you know who that _is_?" Carra whispered back frantically, jerking her head at the stage.

At that moment, Dr. Smallwood went on the stage and began to introduce their special guest, who was none other than the man Carra had sung along with in her car that morning: Josh Groban.


	4. Chapter 3

And the story continues...

* * *

Carra was amazed. She had figured the "famous singer" would be someone they'd never heard of, at least, if not someone just downright horrible. And now she was being offered the opportunity to meet and, more than that, _sing with_, her favorite singer! _I just hope I don't act like some star struck teenybopper if I get the chance to talk to him!_ she thought nervously. She tried to focus on what her teacher was saying, knowing she'd have trouble with that as long as Josh Groban was in the room!

"The first half of the concert will be you – everything we've worked on this semester, full choir, solos, ensembles, as well as some new pieces we're still trying to decide on. The second half will be Josh, and some of you will be singing with him. Our chamber choir will be singing backup for 'You Raise Me Up,' and later we will be picking one of you to sing the duet 'The Prayer.'

Alicia and Carra looked at each other excitedly. When Carra had gotten Josh's CDs, she had played them until Alicia said she was half sick of it, so both of them knew the two songs well. Alicia leaned over to Carra and whispered, "If any of our teachers have anything to say about it, _you'll_ be singing 'The Prayer' with Josh!"

"No, no, I'm sure they'll pick someone else," Carra whispered back with a shake of her head.

With that, rehearsal began for the day. Morning voice lessons, piano lessons, and private studio time had been cancelled for all music majors, so they could have some extra rehearsal time. The school boasted three choirs and small groups of students formed ensembles of various sizes, and they sang music of all genres and languages. Throughout the morning, the groups and soloists filtered on and off the stage, as the faculty and Josh sat in the audience listening closely. At first, Josh took only a passing interest in the individual students themselves, until a group of five women came up to practice the song they were preparing. On the end stood a girl with curly brown hair who looked a little older than most of the others. She caught his attention at first because she was the only member of the ensemble not looking at the music she held as they sang. As she sang, he watched her face and was amazed at the range of emotion she showed. She had the prettiest smile. He caught himself, and with a little mental shake, tried to concentrate his attention somewhere else. _I did not come all the way to Kentucky to find a girl!_ he said sternly to himself. Try as he might, though, his eyes kept wandering back to her, even when she left the stage. He couldn't help himself; he wanted to know more about her. Rob, sitting next to him, would likely at least be able to tell him her name. _But I can't be too obvious_, he thought, wondering how he could find out her name without raising any eyebrows. Just then, Rob turned to him and said, "I can introduce you to most of the people here. Anyone caught your attention?" He grinned wickedly; there were several students dressed very … _eclectically_.

Josh silently blessed Rob for giving him the opening he needed. But he couldn't ask about her right away. He looked around. He asked about the group onstage at that moment, barely paying attention when Rob recited their names. He pointed out a couple of students sitting near them and then, as casually as he could, said, "What about those two girls up there at the front? Do you know them?"

Rob turned to look. "Oh, sure! The one with the long hair is Alicia Thierry, and the other is Carra James. They graduated with me; they're both 23, graduate students getting their master's in music education. Carra's the golden child of the department – everyone's favorite. I don't know how she managed that, but I was always jealous! Actually, I dated her for a little while our sophomore year, now that I think of it." He paused at the look Josh gave him, eyebrows raised. "We're friends now! Don't look at me like that. If I could make a suggestion, you should get Carra to sing 'The Prayer' with you. She has a beautiful voice, really. You guys would sound great together!"

"I don't know that _I _actually get to do the choosing. I just assumed the teachers here would pick whomever they thought would do the best job."

"Well, if that's the case, then you'll definitely be singing with Carra. She's a great girl, you should get to know her," Rob said, nudging Josh with his elbow and giving a suggestive grin.

"That's not why I'm here, man," said Josh with a shake of his head.

"No, maybe not … but why shouldn't you make new friends wherever you go?" asked Rob innocently, determining to play dumb.

Josh didn't feel like thinking of a comeback for that one, so he turned and gazed at Carra's profile from her perch on a piano bench.


	5. Chapter 4

Greetings, readers!

I'm procrastinating writing an essay that's due tomorrow, so guess what that means ... chapter for you! ;)

I hope you enjoy, please review and tell me your thoughts! :)

* * *

"He's looking at you, Carra!" Alicia half squealed, half whispered into her friend's ear.

Carra shook her head at Alicia in exasperation. "If I listened to you, you'd have me thinking every male I encounter did nothing but stare at me!"

"Okay, don't listen. But you could miss out because you don't pay attention! Don't get mad at me for paying attention _for_ you," returned Alicia sagely.

"How many times do I have to tell you, child, I am _not_ looking for a boyfriend. That's the last thing I need to be concentrating on," said Carra determinedly.

"You can't punish yourself forever," Alicia whispered tentatively.

Carra turned to her friend, eyes flashing. "I'm not punishing myself, Alicia! I just need to concentrate on finishing my degree, so I can–"

"Ladies, could we have a word?"

The girls looked up to see Rob and Josh standing behind them. Alicia jumped up and threw her arms around Rob.

"Look at the big executive come back to visit all the little people!" she exclaimed.

Rob laughed. "Well, you know, I've gotta remember where I came from!" He turned his attention to Carra. "How are you these days?" he asked, his voice softening.

"I'm great! It's so good to see you," returned Carra, rising for her hug.

"Well, girls, let me introduce you to my friend, Josh Groban. Josh, this is Alicia Thierry and Carra James."

Greetings and handshakes were exchanged all around.

"Uh, 'Licia, would you come over here with me for just a second?" Rob asked mysteriously, pulling Alicia away and leaving Josh and Carra to stand at the piano alone. Carra felt her face growing hot and knew she was blushing. Would Rob _never_ give up playing matchmaker for her?

"It appears we've been deserted," Josh said easily.

"I think I know what's going on here," Carra said with an embarrassed smile.

"Does Rob constantly try to set you up, too?" Josh asked, laughing when she nodded. "I thought that was just me! I guess I'm not as special as I thought I was."

This made Carra laugh. "Rob's a compulsive matchmaker. I don't think he can help it!"

"He mentioned he dated you while you were in college here together," Josh said slowly.

"Yeah, we did! But we'd always been more like brother and sister, even before that. I don't know whatever gave us the idea we should date!" Carra said.

"Well, I'd hate for all his trouble to go for nothing."

Carra looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Since he put forth the effort to get us to talk and all, I was wondering if you have any plans for lunch when we're done here?"

Carra looked at him thoughtfully. _What the heck?_ she thought to herself. "No, I hadn't really thought that far ahead yet," she said.

Josh's chocolaty eyes lit up. Carra hadn't noticed before what a deep brown they were. "Well, I'd love to take you out for lunch, maybe get to know you a little better …?"

All of a sudden, Carra was a little afraid. _Don't be an idiot_, she thought. _Has it been so long you've forgotten how to talk to a man?_

"I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Hey you two, we're all going out to lunch!" Rob exclaimed, coming over and putting an arm around each of them.

"Oh? Who is 'we?'" asked Carra.

"Well the four of us of course! Me, Alicia, Josh, and you!" he said with a grin.

Carra glanced at Josh and saw him giving her the tiniest smile. Without knowing exactly why, she felt like laughing hysterically. _So much for a quiet lunch!_

Secretly though, Carra was actually somewhat relieved that Rob and Alicia would be along too. It had been so long since she'd been on a date, the mere thought frightened her a little. _But of course this wasn't even supposed to be a date when it was just the two of us_, she thought as she gathered her music back into her messenger bag. _Why on earth would _Josh Groban_ want to go on a date with me anyway? He probably just wanted to get a rise out of Rob, making him think his matchmaking was finally working!_

"Ready to go?" Carra turned to see Josh standing behind her, a friendly smile on his face.

"All set!" she answered, smiling back. The foursome went outside to where Rob's car was parked, having decided to pile in with him for the ride to the restaurant they'd agreed on for lunch. Carra stopped at her own car to leave her bag and jacket, and then they were off.

Over steaming plates of spaghetti at a small Italian restaurant, the foursome talked mostly about the time Rob, Carra, and Alicia had shared as students pursuing their bachelor's degree in music. They told stories on each other amid much laughter, and Rob and Alicia managed to convey much about Carra to Josh without Carra realizing it, which had been their plan all along. They had been witness to the horrible ordeal Carra had experienced with her last boyfriend, almost two years ago, and both of them wanted to see her happy with someone again. Rob was firmly convinced that Josh was that someone, and Alicia was perfectly willing to go along with him, not immediately seeing anything to turn her against Josh.

On their way out Josh hung back a little bit, hoping Carra would follow his lead. His interest in her was piqued, and he now sincerely wanted to get to know her better. To his delight, she fell back to walk out beside him.

"I was wondering … would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, the words tumbling out in a rush. He had been getting up the courage to ask her out the whole time they'd been eating lunch.

Carra looked at him sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Josh, but I can't," she said, genuinely sounding sorry.

"Oh, well, if you have other plans –"

"No, no, it's not like that! I just … I just have some work to do tonight. I'll see you tomorrow at rehearsal, okay?" She flashed him her beautiful smile again.

"Okay, yeah. See you tomorrow," he returned, trying not to look as disappointed as he felt.


	6. Chapter 5

Happy Monday, everyone! ... if there is such a thing ... but now it is because I have an extra long chapter for you! Enjoy and please review! :)

* * *

"He _asked you out_? And you said _no_?" asked Alicia incredulously, talking on the phone with Carra that evening.

"Lish, I _had_ to say no. You know that," Carra said dejectedly. She had wanted desperately to say yes, to have the opportunity to talk with Josh one-on-one.

"I would have helped if you asked!"

Carra sighed in exasperation. "I've _told_ you, I can't do that. You know I'm not going to, so stop suggesting it!"

"I just think you're scared. You think every man is going to treat you like Richie did."

"Well … what if I am? You know how wonderful he was in the beginning. I can't make _that_ mistake again!"

"Carra, let me go on the record as saying that I think Josh and Richie are horses of a different color. Don't ask me how I know, I just _know_. Keep that in mind the next time he asks you out."

"Oh, now, just how do you know there will be a next time? Nobody _likes_ hearing the word no!"

"Like I said, I just _know_."

"So now you're a psychic? Are you going to change your name to Miss Cleo?"

"Scoff all you want, but I'm _telling you_! It's getting late, we'd better get to bed. See you in the morning!"

"See you. Don't forget my cappuccino!"

Alicia's prophesy turned out to be true. Josh did indeed ask Carra out again – to be precise, several times during the next couple of weeks, and again and again she said no. She felt guilty for seeming to blow him off, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him her whole sordid story. _He doesn't need my baggage dumped on him,_ she told herself.

"Well, did you explain why?" Alicia asked as the two took their lunch hour in a private practice room in a secluded hallway of the music building.

Carra looked at her friend as if she'd gone mad. "Of course not! Why would I do that?"

"Well, don't you think the poor guy deserves some explanation?" Alicia looked at Carra sternly, and Carra felt like her mother was sitting in front of her instead of her best friend. "You can't keep a secret this big forever. Eventually he'll find out one way or another. He'll probably just come out and demand to know why you've been blowing him off time after time after time."

"Well then, I'll cross that bridge _if_ I come to it," Carra answered stubbornly.

Friday afternoon. Evening rehearsals had been cancelled for the day because of a dinner all the faculty had to attend. Josh had left when everyone else did, going back to his hotel room to shower and change clothes.

"Josh! We're headed to dinner, you coming?" Rob poked his head around the corner into Josh's room.

"Uh … no, I don't think so. I'm not hungry now, I'll just grab something later," Josh said, barely looking up. He was sprawled out on the bed, leafing through a magazine.

"Okay, if you're sure." Josh heard the door close and, finally, he was alone. After a minute, he jumped up, tossing the magazine away, too restless to lounge around the room but not interested in finding something to eat. He knew exactly what was bothering him: Carra. Specifically, why she kept refusing to go out with him. He felt like a fool every time he asked, because every time she said no. Yet when they talked, he was sure it wasn't that she didn't like him. He felt an undeniable chemistry between them. _She's hiding something_, he thought, not for the first time. _But what in the world …_ He would soon go insane if he kept thinking about this, thinking about her. _What I really want to do is work on my new song_, he thought, wishing the hotel room was equipped with a piano. He laughed. A piano in a hotel room? That would be _some_ hotel!

"Wait, what am I thinking?" he murmured, going to the table where he'd dropped his keys earlier. Putting on his glasses and grabbing a hoodie, he made sure he had his room key and left. He was sure of finding a piano in the recital hall where they'd been rehearsing!

It took all of about three minutes to get from the hotel to the college. Josh parked his Porsche in the closest spot he could find to the music building and got out, hoping the door would be open. He was in luck; the door swung open and he headed down the hallway toward the stage door of the recital hall. Just inside he stopped short, hearing someone playing softly. _Someone beat me to it_, he thought with a touch of disappointment. He turned to leave, but decided instead to wait a minute and listen. He didn't know who was playing, but their song sounded familiar. The piano stopped suddenly, and he decided to go in and see who was playing. As he crept quietly through the maze of the backstage area, the mysterious pianist began again. It was in a higher key, but after a moment he was sure it was his song 'To Where You Are.' As if on cue, a woman began to sing – he was right. He continued edging around the curtain to see who was playing, moving slowly to keep from startling her. He caught his foot on something and nearly fell – he looked down in the semidarkness to see Carra's messenger bag lying as if it had been thrown on the floor. A pair of sandals had been discarded nearby. He peeked around the corner. It _was_ Carra, pounding away at the piano, her head tilted to one side and eyes closed, singing as if her heart was broken. Her curls were clipped haphazardly atop her head, her long white skirt spread across the piano bench out of the way of her bare feet, working the pedals. Josh looked closer – she was crying, nearly sobbing, the tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she sang and dripping puddles on her blue shirt. Josh stepped back behind the curtain, not wanting to embarrass her by catching what he was sure was meant to be a private moment. _What do I do_, he asked himself silently. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and have her tell him what made her so sad, why she cried and sang as if she was all alone in the world. As the song neared its end, he formed a plan. He quickly went back to the stage door, quietly opening it and letting it shut with a bang. Just as he figured, Carra abruptly stopped playing and singing. He came around the curtain, trying to act nonchalant as he said, "Oh, hey Carra! I didn't know anyone was here."

"Josh! Hey … you scared me," she said shakily, trying to dry her eyes discreetly. She looked around, wondering where she'd kicked off her sandals when she came storming in.

"Sorry," he murmured, coming to stand on the other side of the piano, facing her. "I heard you singing," he offered gently, trying not to notice her tearstained cheeks.

"Oh, you heard me?" she responded, blushing. The sight of her red face made Josh go weak in the knees. He put one hand on the piano and leaned on it casually. "That's a little embarrassing," Carra said with a laugh. "I hope I didn't butcher your song!"

"No, you were great! Where did you find it in that key?" Josh asked, coming around to sit next to her on the bench. She scooted over a bit to make room for him.

"I did it myself," she answered matter-of-factly. "I found the sheet music on the Internet, printed it off, and transposed it to a key I could sing. Well, Dr. Smallwood helped me a little."

Josh was impressed, and said so. "You sang it with so much feeling," he said carefully, not wanting to embarrass her further. "Anyone listening could have felt your pain."

She looked at him sharply. "You heard more than I thought, then. How long were you back there?"

He couldn't keep up the fib. "I heard the whole thing. I didn't want you to think I was spying on you or something."

"No … that's okay, I guess. I suppose if anyone would understand, you would."

"I would try, anyway," he said, hoping she would open up to him.

She sighed, running one hand along the bright white piano keys. "That song is really special to me. Just a couple months ago I lost my grandfather. We were very close, and he'd been there for me through … a rough time just before." She paused. "That song always makes me think of him now."

"So you sang it for him," Josh said quietly, covering her hand with his.

Carra nodded silently, looking at their hands resting atop the piano. "I knew you'd understand," she whispered, tears in her voice. Josh gently put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a moment, then Carra raised her head abruptly and pulled a tissue out of her skirt pocket. Mopping her eyes, she laughed a little self-consciously.

"Sorry I used your shirt as a handkerchief," she said with a smile.

Josh smiled back. "You're welcome to cry on my shoulder anytime," he said, meaning it wholeheartedly. "Sometimes you need someone to talk to."

Carra nodded, giving him a grateful look.

"Hey, I have a question," Josh said suddenly.

"What?"

"Do you happen to know the song 'The Prayer'?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm supposed to pick someone to sing it with me in the concert, and I was wondering if you'd like to," Josh asked almost shyly.

"Oh! Why … I'd love to!" Carra exclaimed. "I sang it in church with a friend not long ago, actually. I don't know the Italian, though," she said apologetically.

"I'll help you learn it, it's not hard," Josh offered. Suddenly his stomach growled and he realized he was starving. "Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked, sticking his neck out yet again and feeling like an idiot as he did so.

"No," Carra answered, her back to him as she put her sandals back on and gathered her bag and its contents.

"Well … would you like to go get something with me? If you don't have anything else to do, of course. I just thought since you were still here, instead of rushing off like you usually do …" Josh stopped, realizing he was rambling and giving himself a swift mental kick for it.

Carra smiled at him. "I guess I do usually rush out of here like I'm on fire," she said thoughtfully. "I have to be somewhere right at five every day, but today I didn't. I haven't had much private practice time lately, so I thought I'd stay and play a bit."

"That was my thought too. It's why I came here, actually, but I'd rather take you to dinner," he said, getting braver when she didn't immediately refuse him.

Carra paused thoughtfully. _What could it hurt?_ she thought to herself. "Sure, dinner sounds great!"

Delighted, Josh led her out to his car and opened the door for her. She was impressed, but tried not to act stupid about it. She didn't want him thinking she was just a country bumpkin, after all. For a moment she considered why she even cared what he thought about her, but quickly pushed that thought away, determined to enjoy this, her first night out in much too long.

Over dinner, they talked like old friends, mostly about music. They shared stories about their childhood, laughing and generally enjoying each other's company very much. When they were done and Josh had insisted on paying, they headed back to the school so Carra could pick up her car. They stood together between their cars, both reluctant to end what had turned out to be the most enjoyable evening either of them had had in quite a while.

"I really should be getting home, I guess," Carra said hesitantly.

"Rehearsal's early, and I don't like getting up early!" Josh agreed with a laugh.

"Neither do I! But I, for one, will get a bad grade if I don't show up," Carra said.

"Well we can't have that, Miss James, so get yourself home and get a good night's sleep," said Josh playfully.

"Yes sir!" Carra said, saluting like a soldier. She climbed in her car, Josh holding the door for her. Before he had time to think better of it, he leaned in and brushed her lips with his in the gentlest of kisses. He straightened and smiled into her eyes.

"Good night, Carra."

"Good night," she murmured as he closed her door. She headed out of the parking lot in stunned silence, wondering if she'd dreamed that kiss. But no, she could still feel the light touch of his lips on hers. And, try as she might, she couldn't wipe the silly grin off her face.


End file.
